America's 10 Most Fattening Holidays

Thanksgiving may have come and gone, but it’s time to brace yourself (and your stomach) for many end-of-year celebrations. Wonder what are some of the most fattening, most calorific holidays in the U.S.? I asked Kelly Hogan, MS, RD, CDN, Clinical Nutrition Coordinator at the Dubin Breast Center at The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, to break them down.

Based on more than five years of experience working with hundreds of patients, compiling data from latest research, calculating calorie content of various foods and assuming maximum indulgence, here’s Hogan’s list.

(Photo credit: Getty Images)

#10: VALENTINE’S DAY (2,000+ calories)

Emotional eating (we’ve all done it!) makes it hard to stay in touch with satiety levels. As a holiday centered on love and relationships, Valentine’s Day is most likely the day where emotional eating comes into play. So whether you’re celebrating your love or your singledom, try to think of other activities that can help you cope with emotions, like exercise, meditation, reading or talking with a friend. This will likely save you from consuming many unwanted calories. After all, sweet treats are often synonymous with V-day and are often enjoyed throughout the day.

SAMPLE INTAKE:

Wine (125 calories/1 glass)

Champagne (80 calories/1 glass)

Chocolate truffles (75 calories/1 truffle)

Crab cakes (100 calories/1 cake)

Beef tenderloin (300 calories/6 oz.)

Mashed potatoes (220 calories/1 cup)

Creamed spinach (200 calories/1 serving)

Chocolate cake (500 calories/1 slice)

#9: HALLOWEEN (3000+ calories)

Fun-size Halloween candy may seem small and harmless, but it’s quite rare that we only have one piece. Less than five small pieces of candy can add up to more calories than a meal, and that doesn’t even include party extras like candy apples, cupcakes, decorated donuts that can send any adult into sugar overload. What’s more, these foods can cause serious fluctuations in blood sugar, which along with the lack of fiber or protein could leave you feeling hungry soon after having them.

SAMPLE INTAKE:

Pumpkin spice latte (410 calories/16 oz.)

Fun size Milky Way (75 calories each)

Fun size Snickers (80 calories each)

Fun size 3 Musketeers (65 calories each)

Fun size Butterfinger (100 calories each)

Fun size Twix (125 calories each)

Fun size Nestle Crunch (60 calories each)

Fun size Kit Kat (210 calories each)

Candy apple (215 calories/small apple)

Spiked punch (350 calories/12 oz.)

Decorated cupcake (500 calories each)

Chocolate ice web cream Halloween donut (400 calories each)

#8: NEW YEAR’S EVE (3,100+ calories)

Holidays and parties with a focus on alcohol and appetizers can be a calorie bomb of a combo. Coupled with the notion of “starting over on January 1,” and the fact that everything comes in delicate, little portions over a course of several hours, it may be easy to lose count on the amount of food you consume, especially when alcohol is added to the mix. For those opting to skip dinner before an evening party, there’s a higher chance of overeating once you get there.

SAMPLE INTAKE:

Champagne (80 calories/1 glass)

Sugary cocktail (200+ calories/1 serving)

Pigs in a blanket (70 calories/1 small piece)

Crabcakes (150 calories each)

Caviar (80 calories/2 tbsp.)

Stuffed mushrooms (300 calories/1 serving)

Sliders (160 calories each) (x 2)

Pizza (300 calories/1 slice) (x 3)

Rum balls (100 calories/2 balls)

Cheese and crackers (150 calories/1 oz. of cheese and cracker)

Spinach and artichoke dip (140 calories/¼ cup)

#7: EASTER (3,500+ calories)

Easter may seem like a more wholesome version of Halloween; but in reality, the treats are just as heavily loaded in sugar. In your Easter basket, you may find chocolate bunnies and candies such as jelly beans, peeps and cakes that provide little nutrition and satiety. If you were to munch on a few here and there in the morning and throughout the day, this could easily add up to more calories than a meal. Combined with the high-calorie foods served at popular Easter brunches and dinners, you’re likely going to bloated and lethargic due to extreme fluctuations in blood sugar.

SAMPLE INTAKE:

Peeps (30 calories/1 peep)

Cadbury eggs (150 calories/1 egg)

Jelly beans (100 calories/10 jelly beans)

Peanut butter chocolate mini eggs (200 calories/5 eggs)

Mimosa (80 calories/1 glass)

Eggs benedict breakfast (1000 calories/1 order)

Rack of lamb (300 calories/3 oz.)

Honey baked ham (350 calories/3 slices)

Mashed potatoes (220 calories/1 cup)

Green bean casserole (200 calories/1 cup)

Carrot cake (300 calories/1 slice)

Wine (125 calories/1 glass)

#6: SUPER BOWL (3,600+ calories)

The Super Bowl is all about snacking and typical sports bar fare, which often consists of high-fat, high-calorie ingredients. This creates a “double-whammy” of sorts, as focusing on the game and friends could make it harder to keep track of hunger and satiety levels. And with alcohol almost always in the mix, the liquid calories add up quickly without filling you up. You can easily consume more than a day’s worth of calories at one Super Bowl party.

This is another holiday somewhat centered on alcohol, and it’s pretty easy to consume a ton of calories without thinking about it. Much of this is attributed to sugary cocktails, where we get as many calories from alcohol as we do from sugar. If you think about it, one frozen margarita roughly translates to more than 500 calories. Like most people, you probably want to wash that down with chips, guacamole, plus a taco or burrito. So just factor the prolonged celebration with alcohol-impaired judgment, and it’s not hard to see why this is one of the most calorific holidays in the country.

Famous for good old “American” foods like hot dogs, cheeseburgers, lobster rolls, spare ribs and BBQ chicken, it’s common for Fourth of July parties to last for hours. In addition to the barbecue, the snack foods like chips and pretzels plus ice cream, and high-calorie side dishes like potato and macaroni salad, there’s often ice-cold beer as well. Unsurprisingly, this means you could eat way more than expected. And since sauces and marinades found in barbecued dishes may be quite high in sodium, they may exacerbate any bloating that often accompanies overindulgence in food and alcohol.

SAMPLE INTAKE:

Cheeseburger on a bun (500+ calories/1 burger)

Hot dog on a bun (325 calories each)

Potato salad (425 calories/1 cup)

Beer (150 calories/1 pint)

Classic strawberry shortcake (600 calories/1 serving)

Pretzels (110 calories/1 oz.)

Potato chips (150 calories/15 chips)

Corn on the cob with butter (150 calories each)

Lobster roll (550 calories each)

Barbecue chicken (300 to 500 calories/1 piece)

Spare ribs (200 to 300 calories/1 rib)

#3: ST. PATRICK’S DAY (3,800+ calories)

There’s the big Irish breakfast, which typically consists of corned beef, fried eggs, hash browns, black and white pudding, bread with butter, and sausage that amounts to 1,000 calories (Guinness not included). Then, there are the high-fat traditional meals and snacks such as Irish soda bread and butter plus fried pub fare. But who are we kidding? The main thing that comes into mind at the mention of St. Patrick’s Day is beer! If you’re sipping on pints during a daylong celebration, it can be easy to lose track on how much you’re drinking and easier to put away more than you’re used to.

SAMPLE INTAKE:

Corned beef sandwich (500 calories/1 sandwich)

Fried eggs (160 calories/2 eggs)

Hash browns (400 calories/1 cup)

Black and white pudding (200 calories/1 serving)

Sausage (100 calories/1 link)

Irish soda bread (80 calories/1 slice)

Beer (150 calories/1 pint)

French fries (350 calories/4 oz.)

#2: CHRISTMAS (4,000+ calories)

The Christmas holiday can be thought of as the “culmination” of holiday indulgence, after Thanksgiving and perhaps a month of holiday parties and get-togethers. Traditional Christmas Eve or Christmas Day meals often consist of high fat, high-calorie items like honey baked ham, mashed potatoes, creamed vegetables and lots of sweet treats like Christmas cookies and fruit cakes. Like Thanksgiving, these meals can often be spread over the course of the day and include leftovers of the same high-calorie items, as well as those traditional beverages. Eggnog, hot chocolate, hot buttered rum – these can pack more than 300 calories for just a one-cup serving.

SAMPLE INTAKE:

Hot buttered rum (420 calories/1 serving)

Peppermint mocha (470 calories/16 oz.)

Eggnog (350 calories/1 cup)

Rack of lamb (300 calories/3 oz.)

Honey baked ham (350 calories/3 slices)

Mashed potatoes (220 calories/1 cup)

Creamed spinach (240 calories/1 serving)

Apple pie (400 calories/1 slice)

Sugar cookie with icing (250 calories/1 cookie)

#1: THANKSGIVING (3,500 to 4,500+ calories)

Traditional Thanksgiving foods tend to be high in fat and calories due to higher amount of butter, cream and sugar in their ingredients. Since we often think of Thanksgiving as a day of indulgence, the combination of these rich foods and the “anything goes” mindset often result in calorie overload. Typically, people may “save up” for this special meal by eating less (or nothing) beforehand. But arriving at the Thanksgiving table hungry makes you even more susceptible to overeating, especially when overwhelmed with some of your favorite seasonal dishes.

SAMPLE INTAKE:

Cheese and crackers (450/2-3 ounces cheese/10-15 crackers

Candied yams (340 calories/1 cup)

Green bean casserole (150 calories/1 cup)

Stuffing (350 calories/1 cup)

Turkey (200 calories/4 oz., dark meat with skin)

Pecan pie (500 calories/1 piece)

Ice cream (230 calories/1/2 cup)

Cranberry sauce (100 calories/¼ cup)

Mashed potatoes (220 calories/1 cup)

Wine (150 calories/5 ounces)

If you feel rather dejected by this list, there are things you could do to avoid feeling like the Michelin Man after an indulgent holiday.

According to the nutritional expert, try focusing on a few special items to indulge in, and surround them with colorful vegetables and fruits. Pay extra attention to the liquid calories as they could add up much quicker than you think. Space alcoholic beverages out with sparkling water or choose simpler items (wine, spirits with club soda or light beer). And as always, eat breakfast! “Saving up” for that special meal will more often than not, lead to overeating later on.

Lastly, it’s important to maintain a balance between awareness of calorie content of some foods and allowing for indulgences during the holidays.

“We can often feel miserable after a night of total deprivation or complete gluttony, and I always counsel my patients on how to consciously indulge in a few of their favorite foods,” said Hogan.